This invention relates to an apparatus for and method of compacting trash, and more particularly to an apparatus and method not critically requiring a rigid, fixed walled compaction chamber.
Prior art trash compactors characteristically have had rigid, fixed walled compaction chambers for use in combination with a displaceable drive assembly, typically a piston or plate, and a drive means such as a mechanical, pneumatic or hydraulic actuator for displacement of the drive assembly. Traditionally both the drive assembly and the drive means have been physically part of or integral to the trash compactor, making for a particularly large, heavy and obtrusive compactor that almost always is used in the home as a "built-in" wall or counter unit.
Yet to be addressed by those skilled in the trash compacting art is the influence of recycling upon the users of trash compactors, and on trash compactor design itself. It is believed that a majority of households currently actively participate in community recycling programs. These programs typically require items such as paper, plastic, aluminum, and glass to be separated from the "other" items of trash that are typically picked up curb side by a waste hauler. As a result, the quantity of trash for compaction in the household setting has been somewhat reduced, and the physical quality of it is becoming relatively less variable. No longer are bulky and obtrusive compactors critically necessary. Instead, the real need now is for a simple and inexpensive, consumer-oriented trash compactor exhibiting lightweight portability and easy use in and about the home, apartment, garage, yard, farm, or business, as the need arises. This invention is directed to such a compactor.